Michaela + Ernest
April 21st, 2018
Springville, UT | Grace Bible Church
What was your total budget? Please provide a breakdown.
- We had about $300 set aside for the food
- $150 for the flowers
- $100 for decorations
- $1500 for photos – *the couple received a Friends & Family Discount
- $300 for Attire
Total: $3,000.00
How many guests did you have?
We had around 200 people show up for the wedding.
How did you meet?
We met at Frontier School of the Bible when we were students. Our first interaction was in St. George, Utah in 2013. Kyle Sheppard was in St. George doing a Youth internship and beginning his career as a photographer. Ernest had come down to visit Kyle and we met and stayed friends for the next 5 years. It wasn’t until we were both out of school and living in Utah that we started dating. Our first date was in Salt Lake City, UT and we fell in love. We did have to do long distance since I moved back home to St. George and he was still up north in Springville. I eventually moved back up to Springville.
What is your proposal story?
He took me to dinner at a very fancy Italian Restaurant in Salt Lake City and then we went ice skating. I had my suspicions that he was going to propose. He still found a way to surprise me. We were on our way home late at night and I was falling asleep in the car. I thought he wasn’t going to propose that night! As we pulled up to my place, he told me that he had one more surprise. I woke up confused and suddenly very excited. We got out of the car. In the middle of the street in the middle of the night, he got down on one knee and popped the question. My whole body was shaking and I squealed a lot. It was the perfect way to propose. Simple. Romantic. Private. It was wonderful.
Tell us about your wedding vision.
We chose purple as the main color because it’s our favorite color. We also included some Harry Potter details because it has a lot of meaning for Ernest from his childhood. It’s his favorite book and movie and we watch it often. We really wanted to keep it simple though. We didn’t add a lot of flair to our decorations. The thing that really made it all work was the people that set up the venue for us. Good friends and family that dedicated many hours to making our day special. It was even more beautiful than I had pictured.
Tell us about your attire choices.
We wanted to keep it simple and affordable for both of us. It actually turned out that his suit cost 3x more than my dress!
I got my dress online (savedbythedress.com) and I actually ordered a few to try on. All of their dresses are $100 or less and they’re actually considered maxi dresses.
I paid around $70 for my dress – we did have to make some alterations and had to sew me into my dress the day of – but it worked so well.
His suit was one we got on clearance sale at Van Heusen. I genuinely believe that suit was made just for him. We paid about $200 for it.
What was most important to you two while planning? Was there anything you chose to splurge on or skip?
The most important thing to us was our time spent together. We didn’t want to lose sight of the fact that we were entering a marriage – not just planning a wedding. We did choose to splurge on the food, the rehearsal dinner, and the flowers. Those were much more important to us than the dress and suit.
What were your favorite parts of the day?
My favorite parts were:
1. The first look – it was a perfect and super emotional moment. It was that moment that gave me peace and calm for the rest of the day.
2. Photos with Kyle and Tori. They made it so easy to be ourselves and have fun. The best part was taking our bridal shots in the Springville City Museum of Art. It was perfect for us since we are both lovers of the arts – it made it extra romantic.
3. Dancing at the reception. Some weddings I’ve been to have struggled with this part. You really need the right people to be there in order to make the dancing part awesome. We had a blast and so many people joined in. It was such an awesome experience to be surrounded by our dear friends and just let loose and be goofy.
Tell us about your wedding flowers.
We ordered our flowers from a few different places. Costco was a lifesaver for this – they are incredible quality and very affordable. The flowers we used were:
- Dried lavender
- White roses
- Baby’s breath
- An assortment of greens, which included eucalyptus
Tell us about your wedding cake.
One of our dear friends made our cake for us. She actually has her own local small business – Miss Maries Treats. She decorated it beautifully with a few flowers we had leftover from our Costco order.
We also ordered cupcakes from her – bride and groom’s choice:
-Bride’s choice: Lemon cake with blueberry frosting
-Groom’s choice: Butterbeer cupcakes with a whipped filling. (We love Harry Potter)
What did you do for favors?
This is a funny story. So we were going to have small bags of lavender with a cute tag on it. We bought the dried lavender buds in bulk, got mesh fabric from JoAnn’s, printed out the tags, the whole nine yards.
The first bag we put together looked exactly like a bag of weed. Long story short, my sister made a last-minute run to Walmart and bought a pack of 200 bubble wands.
Please describe any handmade, DIY, or personal items.
1. We made the backdrop on the stage at our church. We bought 4 strings of bulb lights and then I bought twine, small purple paper flowers, and we created strings of flowers to hang with the lights. It was simple and just what we were going for.
2. My sister made our wedding invitations which were incredible.
3. We did not hire a florist – a couple friends of ours made the arrangements on the tables and put together my bouquet and the boutonnieres. We had the bridesmaids put their bouquets together at the bachelorette party.
4. It was really important to have our friends involved. We didn’t hire any extra help – everyone that helped out with the wedding were dear friends and that made the whole experience so much sweeter and very special.
5. My garter was handmade by a good friend of mine. Ernest is a Hufflepuff and I’m a Slytherin so she tied the two together and it had lace, green and yellow ribbon, and a golden snitch in the center.
Do you have any advice for couples planning their wedding now?
Make a list of your own priorities. Don’t try to follow a list someone made online. Your wedding is unique just as you are unique. Write out what is really important to you and prioritize them in a way that helps you. A wedding shouldn’t have to be a stressful full-time job. Do what works for you and your fiance. Also, make time to be with your family and friends before the wedding. That’s the thing you will wish you had prioritized more.
VENDORS
Photography: Kyle Loves Tori Photography • Ceremony Venue: Grace Bible Church • Wedding Cake: Miss Marie Treats • Wedding Dress: Saved by the Dress • Groom’s Attire: Van Heusen • Submitted via: Matchology
